Escapee pregnancy test frogs colonised Wales for 50 years
4 days ago
- #science
- #wildlife
- #history
- African clawed frogs were used for pregnancy tests before conventional methods were available.
- The frogs were introduced to the UK and some escaped, establishing a population in south Wales.
- The first reported sighting in Wales was in 1966, with a breeding population established by the 1970s.
- Researchers kept the frogs' locations secret while studying them.
- A severe winter in 2009-2010 likely caused the frogs' disappearance from Wales.
- An eradication program was planned but not needed as the frogs vanished naturally.
- No frogs have been found in Wales since 2010, suggesting they have been eradicated.